A mortar shell which for any reason does not work properly inside the mortar, i.e., it has not been cast out of the mortar and remains inside it, presents a potential safety risk, given that it is a live ammunition susceptible of being able to injure people and/or damage property. Therefore, it is necessary to remove this shell from the weapon in a safe and completely reliable manner. The extraction system of the invention allows extracting the shell, complying with safety requirements necessary for such operations, in which manual intervention on a potentially dangerous material due to its internal explosive charge is required.
The usual techniques for extracting shells from a mortar are disclosed in patent documents such as EP1712872 or U.S. Pat. No. 2,770,988.
The first document discloses an extraction system that uses permanent magnets that work around a rotational shaft for extracting the shell from the mortar tube. This method is incompatible with current shells which have electronic fuses because the use of magnets could initiate the shell during extraction, therefore representing a danger for the user.
The second patent document discloses an extraction device for extracting shells from inside a mortar tube requiring a cord that can be lowered down the mortar tube together with guiding parts. The projectile is extracted by means of a pawl, using a tractive force. This device does not allow extracting shells in the event that the surface of said shells is not completely dry, in addition to requiring a process for preparing the extraction device that is complicated and not very safe due to the system of guiding parts and the cord which said device requires.